Well-resolved vibrational spectra of LH2 complex isolated from two photosynthetic bacteria, Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Ectothiorhodospira sp., were obtained using surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) exciting into the Qx and the Qy transitions of bacteriochlorophyll a. High-quality SERRS spectra in the Qy region were accessible because the strong fluorescence background was quenched near the roughened Ag surface. A comparison of the spectra obtained with 590 nm and 752 nm excitation in the mid- and low-frequency regions revealed spectral differences between the two LH2 complexes as well as between the LH2 complexes and isolated bacteriochlorophyll a. Because peripheral modes of pigments contribute mainly to the low-frequency spectral region, frequencies and intensities of many vibrational bands in this region are affected by interactions with the protein. The results demonstrate that the microenvironment surrounding the pigments within the two LH2 complexes is somewhat different, despite the fact that the complexes exhibit similar electronic absorption spectra. These differences are most probably due to specific pigment–pigment and pigment–protein interactions within the LH2 complexes, and the approach might be useful for addressing subtle static and dynamic structural variances between pigment–protein complexes from different sources or in complexes altered chemically or genetically.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 May 2000
Resonance Raman and Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman Spectra of LH2 Antenna Complex from Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Ectothiorhodospira sp. Excited in the Qx and Qy Transitions
George Chumanov,
Rafael Picorel,
Iñaki Ortiz de Zarate,
Therese M. Cotton,
Michael Seibert
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
It is not available for individual sale.
This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
It is not available for individual sale.
Photochemistry and Photobiology
Vol. 71 • No. 5
May 2000
Vol. 71 • No. 5
May 2000